A table is set up recently at Cash Saver in Russellville seeking signatures for a petition on the zoning ordinance that would allow for the construction of a Walmart Neighborhood Market. (THE COURIER / Submitted)

A petition seeking a referendum election on the zoning ordinance that would allow for the construction of a Walmart Neighborhood Market was submitted to Russellville’s city clerk Monday.

City Clerk Kathy Collins confirmed the petition has been submitted to her office for review. She will review the signatures to ensure signers are registered voters residing within the city limits. To progress, 878 signatures must be verified.

Collins said she believes more than 1,400 signatures were submitted, but she will not know how many of those meet the qualifications until after the review process, which could take several days.

If Collins determines the petition has garnered the required number of signatures, she will then hand it over to the Pope County Clerk and the Election Commission, who will put together the ballot title and prepare for the election. The petition calls for an August 13 vote.

In the event Collins deems the required number of signatures has not been reached, petition organizers will have 10 days to garner additional signatures.

The ordinance in question was passed by the City Council at its April meeting and rezones property located at South Vancouver Avenue and West Main Street to a planned unit development (PUD). It is the result of negotiations between Walmart and the city of Russellville to allow the retailer to build and operate a store within the guidelines set by the city.

I think that perhaps the best thing that W/M could do now is simply pull out of Russellville, and expand the store in Dardanelle! If the narrow minded individuals that oppose progress here, and that includes a few malcontents, really want to prevent growth in the community, then they should be more than willing to make up for the lost tax revenue from the presence of W/M! Simply raise the property tax rate to take up the slack, that is the easy way to keep Russellville on track to no growth! I do wonder how many of the people who are against this new store have a vested financial interest in seeing it not being built?